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Information About the Finnish Education System Information about the Finnish education system A guide for immigrant parents englanti The Finnish education system 3 Early education 4 Welcome to Vantaa! Comprehensive education 5 The purpose of this guide is to support parenting and the co-operation between the home and School practices 6 the day-care centre/school, particularly in the The school year and holidays 6 situations where the family has recently moved The school day 6 to Finland. The goal of the guide is to answer Absences 7 the questions that parents may have in regards to school work, and to explain how the child’s School personnel 7 learning, growth and school work may be Headmaster/headmistress and teachers 7 supported through the co-operation between Student care personnel 8 the home and the school. The guide has been prepared by the City of Vantaa’s Education Supporting learning and school work 9 Department, funded by the Participative Integration in Finland project. Forms of learning support 9 Student care 9 Evaluation and reports 10 The Finnish Student evaluation 10 The child’s participation in compulsory education is Evaluation discussion and self-evaluation 10 education system the parents’ responsibility. Comprehensive school is Reports 10 9 years long. After this, further studies are available In Finland, a child may participate in early education on the secondary level, and later, on the tertiary level. Afternoon and club activities 10 at age 0-5, afternoon activities from the age of 2.5 The goal of the Finnish education system is to and preschool at age 6. Parents and their children provide the student, via the means of a good basic Morning and afternoon activities 10 may familiarise themselves with early education at education, with equal opportunities to continue Club activities 10 residents’ parks or open day-care centres. his or her studies, to enter further education of his Other extracurricular activities 11 At age 7, the child participates in compulsory or her choice and to inspire development and life- education that ends once the child has finished long learning. In Finland, all forms of education are Co-operation between 11 comprehensive school or when he or she turns 17. governed by law and curricula. school and the home Supporting the student’s first language 11 Parents’ associations 11 Comprehensive education - starts at age 7 Preparatory education - 9 years long After comprehensive education 12 6-year-old Additional comprehensive education 12 learning, i.e. 10th grade Club activities Guidance and preparatory training 12 2.5-year-old-> for vocational education Preparatory training for vocational 12 education for immigrants (mava) Youth workshops for 16-24-year-olds 12 Secondary and tertiary education 12 Early education Compulsory education at age 0–5 at age 7–17 3 Early education ucation which is recommended. Preschool educa- Comprehensive education Grades 7-9 tion is organised on weekdays between 8.30am School work changes in many ways when the student Open day-care centres and residents’ parks and 2.30pm, with holiday times that follow those of Comprehensive education in Finland takes 9 years advances to the seventh grade (junior secondary comprehensive school. In preschool, the child learns and begins in the autumn of the year in which the school). Instead of a single class teacher, the student In Vantaa, day-care-aged children who have no per- skills that prepare him or her for school through play, child turns 7. In the first and second grade, there is taught by several different subject teachers. One manent need of day-care may participate, together activities and experiences. Preschool is a part of early are 4 or 5 lessons each day. The children learn skills of the subject teachers is nominated as the student’s with their families, in the activities of open day-care education and its purpose is to promote the child’s needed at school such as co-operation skills, taking homeroom teacher who manages the group’s mat- centres and residents’ parks. Open day-care centres opportunity to grow, develop and learn, as well as care of one’s own property and that of others, and ters and stays in touch with the student’s guardians. and residents’ parks offer for example guided music, to strengthen the child’s self-esteem through posi- taking responsibility of one’s school work. The les- In junior secondary school, all students study crafts or sports activities. At other times, the focus tive learning experiences. Preschool education is sons consist of Finnish and Literature, Mathemat- Finnish and Literature, Swedish, English, Mathemat- is on free play and getting to know other families. free of charge. ics, Environmental and Nature Studies, Religion or ics, Biology, Geography, Physics, Chemistry, Health The activities are based on active family time where Ethics, Music, Art, Crafts and Sports. All subjects are Studies, Religion or Ethics, History, Civics, Music, Art, parents take care of their children. Participation is Preparatory education for comprehensive not necessarily marked on the schedule as several Crafts, Sports, Home Economics and elective subjects, free of charge. education for 6-year-olds subjects may be covered during one lesson. As the one of which may be the ”A” language that started Preparatory education for 6-year-olds is intended child advances to higher grades, the number of les- in the fourth grade. Additionally, all students receive Clubs for children who have recently moved to Finland sons increases and they become more subject spe- student guidance. or when the child has not learnt Finnish sufficiently cific. However, the students stay predominantly in a Club activities are available for 2.5-5-year-old chil- by age 6 to participate in comprehensive education. single group, managed by a single teacher. Student guidance dren in home care. The preparatory education focuses on learning Finn- The activities are planned in advance. The focus ish. Five hours of preparatory education are given Grades 3-6 Teachers, a student guidance counsellor and other is on playing with other children and learning to daily in connection with preschool education. Pre- school staff guide the student in school work, sub- work together through moving, singing, playing and paratory education is given at the daycare centre The first foreign language study starts in the third ject studies, study choices and planning future stud- crafts. An early education plan is prepared together near the home. grade. In all Vantaa schools, the language is English. ies. The guidance supports the development of the with the parents. At the club, the child also learns An optional language may be started in the fourth student’s study and co-operation skills and indepen- the Finnish language. grade. In Vantaa, the options are French, Swedish, dence. Work experience makes up one part of stu- Clubs can be found around Vantaa in connection German or Russian. In the fifth grade, all students dent guidance. In the 9th grade of comprehensive with residents’ parks, open day-care centres and day- start studying Biology and Geography, Physics and school, the curriculum includes a two-week work care centres. Some club activities take place in the Chemistry, as well as History. Elective subjects also experience period or TET. There may be additional morning and others in the afternoon, 2-3 times per start at this time. In the sixth grade, the students con- work experience periods of 2-5 days in the 7th and week. The daily club time is 2-3 hours depending on tinue studying the subjects started in the fifth grade. 8th grades. the child’s age. There is a fee for the clubs. Preparatory education for comprehensive education Day-care The student participates in preparatory education if The purpose of the day-care early education is to sup- he or she has recently moved to Finland and cannot port the foundation laid by the family for the child’s yet study in Finnish. Preparatory education is given growth and development. Day-care is organised in small groups or as additional support in connec- according to the families’ needs, either full-time or tion with comprehensive education. The purpose part-time, in groups the sizes of which depend on of the education is to learn to study in Finnish. The the children’s ages and special needs. The options education includes subjects as determined by the for day-care include a day-care centre, family day- curriculum. In addition, when possible, the student care and group family day care. also takes lessons in his or her first language. To- gether with the guardians, the teacher prepares a Preschool education personal study plan for the student. The prepara- tory education is approximately one year in length, Preschool education is not compulsory in Finland, after which the student is moved to a comprehen- but nearly all children participate in preschool ed- sive school class. 4 5 School practices The school day The school year and holidays Before a school day the student should have a good night’s sleep and eat breakfast. It is important to The school year is divided into an autumn semester practice travelling to school together with the child. and a spring semester. The autumn semester begins In primary school, outdoor shoes are usually tak- in mid-August and ends in December before De- en off, so the child should have indoor shoes. The cember 24th. The autumn semester includes a few student should have clothes that are warm even on days of autumn break. Additionally, the Finnish In- windy and cold days. Rubber boots are often needed dependence Day on December 6th is a holiday. The in autumn and spring, and in winter warm winter Christmas break begins a few days before Christmas shoes are necessary.
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